


Wrong Number

by JustAnotherUnderstudy



Series: This Should Totally Be A Thing [5]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Break Up, Developing Relationship, Embarrassment, F/M, I actually did something like this, Therapy Writing, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9116140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherUnderstudy/pseuds/JustAnotherUnderstudy
Summary: It all started out innocently enough, idle conversation with an old girlfriend via text. What could possibly go wrong?





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, I accidentally sent someone a text and it was almost this embarrassing except in my case I don't like the person I accidentally sent my love letter to which included why I hate the person who wasn't the intended recipient. He's a total jerk so serves him right, but I decided to work out the situation via story.
> 
> Takes place after Quantum of Solace, maybe a year or so later, after M's husband died.
> 
> I wrote this in just a few hours. I'm not 100% happy with the ending, but I wanted to get this out while the humor of my own situation was still in the air. ;)

James sighed as he clicked send on the text. He supposed it was a good thing to have it all out, all his pent up feelings. That's what Libby said. And in a way it did. 

He was glad Libby had been an understanding woman. Of course, she was so bloody insightful that she had noticed almost from the beginning of their relationship that James had someone else he was interested in. 

She'd told him she wasn't interested in sharing his heart and they'd parted amicably. But Libby was too sweet to let things go. She wanted him to tell the other woman his feelings. James had explained it wasn't possible because she was his boss, and Libby had suggested just writing out what he would say if he could.

He'd felt a sense of relief writing down all his feeling for Olivia. In fact, he'd gone on to write practically an essay on what he loved about her, about how long he'd loved her, about how he wished they could be more to each other.

James smiled as he waited for Libby's reply. It would take a while for her to read it. He decided to go for a run while he waited.

He dressed and as he put his hand on the doorknob to open it, he glanced down at his phone just in case Libby acknowledged she'd received it.

James froze in his tracks, fear seizing him as it never had in the face of certain death. On his text screen he saw that it was not Libby he'd sent his litany of love for Olivia to, it was M herself.

He convulsed as he struggled to catch his breath. He thought of ringing Q and asking him to somehow hack M's phone and delete the message but he had a feeling it was already too late for that.

His breaths were coming in short gasps now.

What should he do? 

Should he call her? Go to the office and speak to her? Pretend it never happened? Pretend it was a joke?

Oh, God, what had he done? 

He stood in his living room, staring at the phone as if he could make the message disappear. 

Then he started to make things up like, maybe she'd lost her phone, or maybe she'd just ignore the text since it was from him, or maybe some sort of miracle would occur and the message would just vanish into the ether instead of making it through the line.

Finally he groaned and banged his head on the door several times as if that would somehow make it go away.

He slumped back to his sofa and sat down hard. He stared at the wall and waited for the inevitable.

James didn't have to be in the office for a few more days, but he'd thought for certain he would hear from M about the text. The days passed slowly. Each text alert brought a new wave of panic. Each ring of the phone made James shake in terror.

Libby thought it some sort of cosmic intervention that he'd done it. But as the days passed with no response from M, even Libby started to think that somehow the message never made it.

James relaxed, and he returned to the office the following Monday.

He had a meeting with M and Tanner first thing and stopped by his office briefly before heading up to hers. He had a spring in his step like some inmate who'd just been exonerated of all wrong doing and given his freedom.

When he arrived he was told by M's secretary that Mr. Tanner had been sent out by M and he'd be meeting with her alone. He nodded and entered the office. This wasn't an unusual thing to happen.

M was sitting behind her desk wearing his favorite suit. He loved her in white. It reminded him of the times he'd see her in the Bahamas. She was so relaxed there, you could see it in her face, hear it in her voice. And she'd added the nice touch of a low cut blouse that revealed a tantalizing bit of her cleavage, just enough to drive James crazy later when he thought about it. The fact that it was blue was even more perfect. It was just the right color to match her beautiful blue eyes and...

It suddenly occurred to James this was not the first time he'd had these thoughts. In fact, he had written almost exactly that in his letter...James slowly looked up at M who was now staring back at him.

"To your liking, 007?"

Her voice was as tart as ever and James felt the color drain from his face.

"It was an accident, ma'am. I meant to send it to someone else."

His excuse sounded lame to his own ears.

"I see. So you have another woman named Olivia who is also your boss?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. Her look didn't give him any hope he'd even make it out of her office  with much more than his job.

"No, I mean I didn't mean to send it to you."

And suddenly he was babbling the whole insane story until there was nothing left to tell.

M was silent but continued to give him a hard stare.

"Libby sounds like a wise woman, but not your usual fare."

James didn't qualify that with an answer. He'd said it all in the letter, about how he was trying so hard to find someone like her but there simply was no woman who could compare.

He stared back at her, silently willing himself to disappear into the upholstery. If the floor would open up and swallow him, that would be just perfect right about now.

Instead an uncomfortable silence reigned in her office and James had a feeling he was beet red. His collar had shrunk since leaving for work as well, or maybe he'd just tied his tie too tight.

"I'm not really sure what to do with this."

She held up her phone to indicate she'd read his letter on her device.

"You don't have to do anything, ma'am. That letter was never to be read by you, its contents were to remain unknown to any but myself and perhaps Libby. You can just pretend it never happened."

There. It was done. She could take the lead now, put them back where they should be.

She looked back down at her phone and flicked her thumb across the screen slowly. James involuntarily pushed himself further down in the chair as he was sure he was watching her re-read his letter.

She stopped moving the screen and stared at the phone for what seemed an eternity to James before she spoke again.

"It's been a long time since I've received a letter like this."

Her voice was quiet, almost sad. James closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath to prepare himself for whatever came next.

"What if I don't want to pretend?"

James looked up at her in surprise.

"What?"

Her face was still that stoic, unreadable mask it always was, no hint of the softness in her voice. He watched as she slowly and cautiously changed the way she was looking at him, until her face openly showed her feelings.

James felt his jaw drop slightly. He had never expected this response.

"Do you truly want more than what we are to each other?"

He nodded slowly, now willing himself to believe this was going to end far better than he could possibly have hoped.

"The things you wrote about me, those are not things people usually see."

"They are what I see."

His voice was embarrassingly rough and he cleared his throat.

"Do you know what I see in you?"

James wasn't sure he wanted an answer. Maybe she was just playing him. She'd done that so many times before, made him think she was angry with him in order to drive him to do his work the way she needed.

"I see a man with unwavering loyalty. A man who gives until he has nothing left to give. One who loves with everything he is. A somewhat hopeless romantic who would sacrifice all but his loyalty to Crown for love.

"Beneath your charm and your posturing you feel for those who truly suffer at the hands of evil. So much so that when you do your job it hurts you when the innocent suffer.

"For years you'd cut yourself off from all your feelings until you truly were nothing more than a blunt instrument emotionally."

James winced at the reminder of that conversation but M continued as if nothing had happened.

"Then you met Vesper."

He looked away from her. How could she bring Vesper into this conversation?

"I know she meant a great deal to you. When I received your resignation via email I knew it was not some impulsive move. You loved her and for that you'd leave this life behind. I won't say I was thrilled at the prospect of losing my best agent, but it did give me insight into you that I had missed before. 

"And when the finance minister came to me about the missing money, I knew exactly what had happened, and my heart broke for you."

She paused and cleared the emotion from her throat. 

"Still, I used your pain and your guilt to get you to do what I needed. It's what I have always done, use every bit of knowledge I have for the sake of Queen and country."

She pushed her chair away from her desk and rose to walk over to the window. James watched her as she stared across London.

"This is not the sort of knowledge I would like to use that way."

She folded her arms across her chest in a defensive posture, possibly against her reflection in the glass.

"I don't know if I can turn that part of me off though."

James watched her and realized what a spot he'd put her in. Her job made relationships difficult, probably even her relationship with her husband and children. Vesper had been his only real relationship since he was recruited by MI6 but she had first hand knowledge of what he did and who he was.

He pushed off his chair and went to stand behind her. He stopped a respectable distance from her and looked at her reflection in the glass.

"I'm sorry. This is why I never said anything. I didn't want you to feel you had to compromise your job or your private life."

She smiled softly at him in the glass. 

"I suppose if I'd been smart I'd have just pretended I never received it."

They were quiet again and James moved to her side to gaze out over the city with her.

"So what do we do now?"

He hoped the answer was in his favor but he wouldn't be angry if it wasn't.

"I don't know. I've never had an office relationship and it's been years since I even had to think about dating."

James was surprised by this fact.

"But your husband's been gone over a year now. Surely word has got out that you are available."

M chortled.

"What man would want an old, dried up woman who works upwards of 70 hours a week?

"Everyone wants a younger model and one that has the time to devote to a relationship."

"Not everyone."

M turned to him and looked at him as if to gauge his sincerity. Perhaps she still thought this was a joke.

He took a step toward her and she lowered her arms to her sides. He wasn't sure if he should draw closer, enter her personal space. Then she held out her hand and James was reminded of a queen lowering her scepter to allow her subject to approach.

He reached out and took her hand in his before he stepped right in front of her.

James fought to keep his breaths regular. 

He should be able to do this, he thought. But this was not a seduction, she was not a mark. This was the woman he'd realized he'd wanted, been searching for, most of his life. 

"I meant what I wrote in my letter. Your beauty has transcended age. When I look at you I see everything that you are, strong, brave, proud, tenacious, and it makes for such an alluring package that I can't help the arousal I feel when I see you."

Her eyes darkened as he spoke the words from his letter. And he finally gave in to his years long desire to press his lips against hers.

The kiss was gentle as they each knew the lines they were crossing were no small things.

James took a step forward and rested his hands on her hips while M raised her hands to his shoulders. 

Slowly they deepened the kiss until they found themselves in a passionate embrace that was forced to be broken by M's secretary buzzing her that Tanner had returned.

M blushed.

"I wasn't sure how this was going to go so I asked Tanner to join us an hour in."

James looked at his watch surprised to find it had indeed been an hour.

"That's OK."

He kissed her forehead.

"Maybe we could continue this conversation over dinner?"

M was suddenly nervous, but James couldn't blame her. 

"I'll make some reservations."

He smiled as he pulled away from her to sit in his usual chair.

M sat down, put back on her work persona, and called Tanner in.

James took a deep breath as they finally got down to his next assignment.

This wasn't going to be easy, but it was worlds better than sitting across from her thinking she'd never know how he felt, and wondering how she'd react if she did.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year. :)


End file.
